Honorable Mention: Season 7 episodes
I chose not to include these episodes from the latest season because it made this whole thing way too complicated and difficult. Season 7 was maybe the most overall solid season of Psych's tenure, with these 5 episodes really standing out for me personally:
"Juliet Takes a Luvvah"
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"Lassie Jerky"
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"No Country for Two Old Men"
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"Right Turn or Left for Dead"
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"Dead Air"
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Psych Parody: Um...tap dancing? No real parody I can see, which is rare nowadays with Psych
Level of Mystery: 7 out of 10. A neat little episode, the degree of interest in what's happening with the case definitely takes a back seat to the action happening with the main characters. "Feet" falls prey to Psych's "You have a 1 out of 4 chance of guessing which guest star is the killer within the first 15 minutes" gag unfortuantely.
Thoughts: The 1st and 5th seasons of Psych are probably the series' weakest overall, but "Feet Don't Kill Me Now" is a rare gem in what was a really hit-or-miss season in my opinion. We as an audience are treated to a nice switch up of the normal partnerships of Shawn/Gus and Juliet/Lassiter after Gus agrees to work with his new tap dancing classmate Lassiter to investigate a murder. While the Juliet/Shawn pairing has some entertaining moments (Shawn stealing half a dozen cookies from a greiving mother of the victim and telling Juliet "she'll thank him later"), the real hilarity in the episode is the Lassiter/Gus "odd couple" pairing. The revelation that Lassiter thinks more clearly only when he's dancing is one of the best things Psych has done.
Best Psych Riff: Shawn and Gus have a little disagreement over what year it is...
Shawn: Gus, get with the times. It's 2008.
Gus: It's 2010.
Shawn: Ha! That would me we're at war with the machines!
Gus: It's 2010.
Shawn: Ha! That would me we're at war with the machines!
9. Season 3 Episode 5 "Disco Didn't Die. It Was Murdered!"

Level of Mystery: 7.5 out of 10. A nice twist at the end, though once again it felt like a lot of the actual investigation was more in the background with all the 70s riffs going on. But with an episode as funny as this it works.
Thoughts: Psych really hit its stride in the third season, and this episode shows. By this point in the show's run you can tell that the writing staff really felt confident with how the characters had developed. Having Shawn, Gus, and Henry roaming Santa Barbara wearing 70's disguises and expecting the audience to realize that the characters would definitely be able to get away with this is a demonstration of this confidence. Shawn and Gus team with Henry to help solve Henry's old case after some paper irregularities allow the perp to walk. Watching this episode reminds me that the relationship between Shawn and Henry was still a little rocky at the time, and, compared with it during the 7th season, you can definitely see how much the characters have developed. The realization for Shawn that he does need his father's help to crack the case is one of the big first steps in the improvement of their relationship.
Best Psych Riff: Henry beats Shawn to the punch with the usual introductions...
Shawn Spencer: Yes. My name is Shawn Spencer, I am the head psychic for the Santa Barbara Police Department. And that is my partner...
Henry Spencer: [impatiently] Yeah, yeah, that's his partner, Methuselah Honeysuckle, which makes me Old Scratch Johnson.
8. Season 2 Episode 13 "Lights, Camera... Homicidio"
Psych Parody: Spanish soap operas, does "Explosion Gigantesca de Romance" top "Sabado Gigante" as greatest Spanish tv show ever? A nice little homage to James Roday's Mexican heritage as well.
Level of Mystery: 8 out of 10. The reveal of who the killer is was nice because I assumed on my first watch they were simply an extra. A good amount of red herrings complete a very fine mystery.
Thoughts: Probably not the first thought on most Psych fans' minds when they think of best episodes for the series, but this one was a very charming episode that I would be remiss if I didn't include. The premise is simple: murder on the set of Spanish soap opera, Shawn and Gus investigate, Shawn joins soap opera to help investigate the inner workings of the show, Shawn nabs killer at the end. Where it gets funny is that Shawn can't really speak Spanish (he freely admits he's getting by with the Spanish he learned from Charo on "Love Boat"). This sets up an excellent finale/reveal with Shawn finding it necessary to go off the cue cards and resorting to speaking in a Hispanic accent on live TV in order to identify the killer. Combine this with one of the show's best guest stars (Saul Rubinek as Head Writer Lance), and this episode is able to look past the weak Juliet subplot. An overall very good episode.
Best Psych Riff: Lance is locked up by Lassiter and Juliet, and mistakes what kind of prison system he is in...
Lance: [about life in jail] I could wallow in the harsh underbelly of prison life and shake it up a little bit with the riff-raff.
Burton 'Gus' Guster: Uh, the "riff-raff"? This is the Santa Barbara jail, not San Quentin.
Shawn Spencer: It was written up in Fodor's last year as a nice spa alternative.
*I wonder if this is why Santa Barbara has such a high murder problem. Just food for thought.
Psych Parody: Any number of movies or TV shows that feature cops hunting serial killers.
Level of Mystery: 10 out of 10. An edge of the seat type of episode, with a great killer reveal. This is Shawn at the top of his game taking on a serial killer. Great stuff.
Thoughts: My feelings are always kind of mixed with the "Yin/Yang" episodes. I know they are viewed as the best episodes of the series' because they are very dramatic and always feature a main character being put in mortal danger by the end. I do enjoy them for this reason because they are very good television and are extremely well written. But at the same time they are very different from anything Psych ever does. Psych is one of the few comedy/police procedurals that have ever gotten it right, and the reason why is that Psych never takes itself too seriously. "Yang" takes itself seriously to the point that you forget you're watching Psych. There are jokes but with all the emotional drama going on, you kinda forget what was funny. This is a genuinely well-written, well-acted piece of television that featured a brilliant guest star in Jimmi Simpson as Yang specialist Mary Lightly, and finally kickstarted the Shawn/Juliet romance angle.
Best Psych Riff: Shawn questions Mary's name...
Mary: My father was named Mary. His father before him was named Mary. And his father before him was named Craig.
6. Season 4 Episode 4 "The Devil Is In The Details...And The Upstairs Bedroom"
Psych Parody: The Exorcist, this entire episode's theme is summed up in one scene. An excellent homage to the movie.
*Spoilers*
Level of Mystery: 7 out of 10. We're pretty sure the girl wasn't actually possessed so the logical explanation for everything that happens is pretty straight forward. But I was actually shocked when Ray Wise wasn't the one behind everything, so kudos to the writing team for fooling me.
Thoughts: A legitimately creepy but also very witty episode. Featuring Ray Wise as Gus and Shawn's childhood priest elevates the episode's quality with Wise playing the sagely Father Westley perfectly. It's funny that despite Shawn's relatively child like behavior in most cases, he often plays the rational skeptic in episodes like this that feature a "supernatural" element. Gus' belief in Father Westley's assertion that students at the campus are possessed, makes this a nice little switch with Shawn playing the straight man. Well, almost. This is Shawn after all.
Best Psych Riff: Gus is in convinced that the Devil is responsible for a girl's suicide, so Shawn comes up with a "plan"...
Shawn: If we end up catching the Devil, and he starts acting all... devil-y, I know what to do. First I'll buy a fiddle. Play a quick tune, so he underestimates my abilities. Then I'll challenge him to a wager. If he wins, he gets my soul. I win, we get his cooperation—
Gus: Alright, I get it. You don't believe in possessions
5. Season 3 Episode 15 "Tuesday the 17th"
Psych Parody: A lesser person would take this episode's air date ( Feb. 13 2009) and see it as trying to cash in on the Friday the 13th remake that debuted that very same day. But a real fan of both series' will see this as a homage to the greatest fictional killer of all time.
*Spoiler*
Level of Mystery: 9.5 out of 10. This is a chilling episode that saw an out of nowhere twist near the end. It's also kinda gruesome; two camp counselors are brutally murdered in classic Friday the 13th fashion.
Thoughts: James Roday's directing debut is an exciting, scary, tense thrill ride that takes a great premise (Old camp friend invites Shawn and Gus up to his dilapidated summer camp to help find missing camp counselor),
and then tweaks it for the better by making it clear that the camp is not for children, but for adults looking to experience their own Friday the 13th adventure. The reveal that there actually is a killer in the camp with them, however, is where this episode takes a bump from great to best episode of the season. The subplot of Lassiter dealing with his soon to be ex-wife is also very moving and you feel for Lassiter when he realizes that the time has come to finalize his divorce. With "Yang" right on the heels of this episode, Psych's third season cemented itself as arguably the show's strongest to date.
Best Psych Riff: Shawn attempts to convince Gus to come with him outside of the cabin, and Gus counters with slasher movie logic...
Burton 'Gus' Guster: You must be out of your mind if you think for one second I'm going out there. I've seen enough slasher movies to know that when a brother goes off to the woods, he doesn't even sort of come back.
Shawn Spencer: LL Cool J made it all the way through "Deep Blue Sea".
Burton 'Gus' Guster: That was in the water, Shawn. With sharks. And Sam Jackson's ass still got swallowed whole.
4. Season 6 Episode 11 "Heeeeere's Lassie"
Psych Parody: The Shining obviously, although we get a little bit of Poltergeist and Vertigo at the end.
Level of Mystery: 6.5 out of 10. You get the appropriate amount of red herrings, although once again there's a limited amount of guest stars and somebody has to be the killer. The enjoyment of this episode is really more in watching the insanity of what's going on in the apartment.
Thoughts: If you've noticed a pattern in the selections, there is a reason. I think what makes these episodes the best is that this is supposed to be tense, anxiety-inducing television that Psych routinely makes fun of and never treats with any type of actual concern. What you get is characters continually cracking jokes and making light of what is supposed to be serious stuff, and I think that's what makes Psych so damn good. This episode is another of James Roday's directing accomplishments and he actually shows off a little with a Kubrickian-style camera follow of Lassiter stalking the halls of his apartment in the beginning and a suprising little homage to Alfred Hitchcock that seems kind of out of place. Regardless, this is one of Psych's best pure parody episodes and can it get any better than Lassiter dressed as Jack Torrance attempting to break down a door with a sword, while Gus does his best Shelley Duvall impression. I submit that it cannot.
Best Psych Riff: Insane Lassiter tries to fake Gus out with the oldest trick in the book, but Gus knows better...
Psych Parody: A full blown parody/homage of David Lynch's wonderfully weird Twin Peaks. Utterly Brilliant.
Level of Mystery: 9 out of 10. The sheer amount of guest stars/Twin Peaks cast members thrown into this episode makes everybody a suspect. An excellent murder mystery.
Thoughts: Audiences who hadn't seen the cult series Twin Peaks (like myself) must have felt a little left out, like a younger sibling oblivious to a joke being told by an older brother or sister. Much of this episode is a series of nods to Twin Peaks, from guest spots of roughly half of the show's main cast to the episode's bizarre dancing conclusion. The small town of Dual Spires' oddness is perfectly played up by Shawn and Gus, who show up for a cinnamon festival and end up staying to solve a murder. Shawn and Gus' reactions to the town are what make this episode fantastic; Shawn finds the town wonderfully weird and fun while Gus wants to leave ASAP. Though the episode is really meant for fans of Twin Peaks, it's so full of zany humor that everybody comes away from it fully satisfied.
Best Psych Riff: Gus notices the distinct lack of black people in Dual Spires, a fact made only more entertaining when they run into a little girl on a bike...
Burton 'Gus' Guster: Shawn, we need to get out of here.
2. Season 4 Episode 16 "Mr. Yin Presents"
Psych Parody: A slew of Alfred Hitchcock tributes, highlighted by Shawn & Co. being invited to Yin's Hitchcock movie lot, where they take the parts of famous Hitchcock movie actors.
*Spoilers*
Level of Mystery: 10 out of 10. Following the same formula as "An Evening wth Mr. Yang", we see Shawn pit his wits against Yang's far more deadly mentor Yin. Doesn't get much better than Shawn attempting to capture a deadly, masked serial killer. Hands down the most gripping mystery that Psych has ever attempted.
Thoughts: Psych is traditionally a somewhat goofy show. Two grown men who have difficulty growing up and moving on from the stuff they loved as children, and take that mentality into solving grisly murders. But it works. However, the Yin/Yang episodes are decidedly darker episodes, with a lot of the jokes substituted in favor of more chilling scenes. One of these scenes is when Shawn realizes that girlfriend Abigail is being held, tied-up under a dock by Yin. Shawn arrives on the scene and runs into Yin as he is making his escape. I can't tell if it's the fact that Yin is masked and completely covered head-to-toe to prevent his being identified, or the music, or the fact that it's kind of disturbing for Shawn to be face to face with this "boogeyman", but it's one of the most powerful scenes ever filmed by Psych. This episode seems so out of place and, yet, so perfectly in place as a great season finale.
Best Psych Riff: The return of oddball Yin/Yang expert Mary Lightly sets up this great dialogue between Shawn, Gus, and him...
Mary: [holds up Yang's book] I'm assuming you've read this?
Shawn Spencer: Are you kidding? We're in it. If I'm not mistaken, and I am paraphrasing here, I am introduced on page eleven as a "thick-tufted boy genius who ice skates through life on polished blades of snarky eloquence."
Mary: That is an exact quote, Shawn.
Burton 'Gus' Guster: Do you remember what I was described as?
Mary: "Laughing on the outside, crying on the inside, the fastidious wrinkle in the brow of Psych."
Shawn Spencer: True, but she also said that you had "skin of pure cocoa velvetiness."
Burton 'Gus' Guster: She also said she would like to use that skin to make children's dolls.
Mary: I'd buy that doll.
1. Season 6 Episode 2 "Last Night Gus"
Psych Parody: Parody of The Hangover. I still rank this episode as better than Hangover Parts II and III. Combined. Yeah, I said it.
Level of Mystery: 9 out of 10. Always helps when your killer is finally introduced near the end of the episode.
Thoughts: As stated above, Psych is at its best when we get a non-stop onslaught of jokes from Shawn and Gus. When you combine this with Lassiter and Woody the Coroner, you get one of the most joke-filled episodes of the series. Taking a great premise (Shawn and the guys party one night only to wake up the next morning with no memory of their actions à la The Hangover) and making it that much more interesting (Lassiter may have killed someone and it's up to the guys to piece together the clues to clear his name), "Last Night Gus" is truly the funniest episode of the series.
Best Psych Riff: Shawn comes up with a "very plausible" way of explaining why Lassiter is wearing sunglasses...
*maybe my favorite line in the whole series
Karen Vick: Detective Lassiter, why are you wearing sunglasses in an autopsy?
Shawn Spencer: Chief, if I may, Lassie spoke to us all about a week ago about wearing sunglasses to all autopsies moving forward to show respect for the dead. I simply forgot. Gus refused because he has no value for human life.
Well, that's one Top 10 down. Feel free to comment on the list, or email me at mykepi415@gmail.com for suggestions on future Top 10's.
Thanks to IMDB and Planet Claire Quotes for help with the Psych Riffs.